Texas Football: Final Winners and Losers from Spring Ball

The Texas Longhorns have completed their first spring under Charlie Strong and his staff, and now is the perfect time to dissect the winners and losers from spring practice.

The Longhorns had a variety of starters who were injured for at least a portion of practice, including quarterback David Ash.

Without Ash, Strong had to rely on Tyrone Swoopes and tight end-turned-quarterback Miles Onyegbule to lead the offense. It was not always pretty, but there appears to be some hope at different positions for the Longhorns.

Here's a final look at the winners and losers from the Texas Longhorns' spring practice.

Winner: Head Coach Charlie Strong

Michael Thomas

Saying Strong has a lot on his plate is an understatement.

In four months, Strong hired an entirely new staff, kept the 2014 recruiting class in tact, worked to change the culture of the Longhorns all while attempting to get to know the players both on and off of the field.

The Longhorns' showing in the annual Orange-White Scrimmage was not overly impressive, but with all things are considered—especially the multiple injuries his team suffered—Strong has done a phenomenal job in a short period of time.

Loser: QB Tyrone Swoopes

The best way to explain Swoopes' performance in the spring game is inconsistent. Swoopes started the game completing 2 of 9 passes and was intercepted by walk-on defensive back Dylan Haines.

But after a slow start, Swoopes turned things around and finished the game with 229 yards passing and three touchdowns.

However, the reason why he is technically a "loser" is because he was running the first-team offense against the second-team defense. If Ash takes a while to heal from his Jones fracture, Swoopes will be the guy heading into fall camp, but he still has a long way to go before he will be ready to run the offense.

Winners: Defensive Tackles Malcom Brown and Desmond Jackson

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Defensive tackles Malcom Brown and Desmond Jackson helped create a strong defensive line. Brown picked up five tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry, and Jackson had six tackles and a sack in the Longhorns' spring game.

This duo showed the ability to wreak havoc on offenses, which will be welcomed openly this season.

Losers: Offensive Line

Michael Thomas

The Longhorns offensive line did not have the best showing in the spring game. The unit allowed eight sacks on the quarterbacks and 13 tackles for loss in the game.

The line was without Kent Perkins, who went down with a knee injury midway through the spring. However, Perkins' injury cannot be used as an excuse when the entire unit gave up tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Offensive line coach Joe Wickline has a lot of work to do with the offensive linemen.

Winner: RB Malcolm Brown

Michael Thomas

Running back Malcolm Brown ran with a purpose in the spring game. Brown rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown and also picked up a receiving touchdown. He was arguably the best player on offense for the Longhorns.

Texas was without running backs Johnathan Gray (Achilles) and Joe Bergeron (personal) throughout the majority of spring ball, but Brown showed he could step up and take control of the ground game as the main back.